Agenda item - Chairs Communications

17.1      The Chair addressed the committee and stated the following:

17.2    Welcome to Housing & New Homes committee. I am delighted to begin with some very good news. Building new council homes is a key priority. This is crucial the city’s housing crisis tackled. The New Homes for Neighbourhoods (NHfN) programme is proactively responding to the acute housing need in the city, and to build much-needed new rented homes, NHfN has delivered 269 new homes across 15 sites. A further 264 homes (including 212 on the Moulsecoomb Hub and Housing Project) have Planning approval and are progressing through the development process.

This proposed next phase represents an exciting opportunity to deliver a further 100 homes on four Council owned sites. This could deliver a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom homes. This is so badly needed. There are so many folk out there in desperate need.

Proposals for these sites have been progressed through the Council’s feasibility budget and are now at a stage where they can move towards detailed design, and the subsequent submission of Planning Applications. These sites are- The former Hollingbury Library 10 new homes, Portslade Village Centre, 28 homes, Swanborough Drive 39 homes, Oakley House 23 homes – Let hope we will be able to build many more.

I am doubly delighted that a report is finally before us after a very long wait, which recommends that we commence with the statutory consultation this autumn to introduce selective landlord licencing. This is the very welcome first step and we anticipate this consultation will result in the introduction of Landlord licencing beginning with four wards of Kemptown, Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Queens Park and Whitehawk & Marina and an additional licencing of HMOs city wide.

The significant growth in the private rented sector in Brighton & Hove means just under one in three households in the city are renting privately. While many landlords operate responsibly, there are concerns that some unfortunately do not, issues are raised in relation to the management, standards, quality and health and safety of homes. This will go a long way in addressing these concerns and will improve conditions for private renters on our city. This report outlines the proposed fee structure for the scheme and our approach to the consultation.

The health & safety of all our residents is important to use and those who visit and work on our council homes is a key Housing Management service priority. In light of significant changes in management and maintenance of council housing and in anticipation of forthcoming legislative and regulatory changes impacting social housing landlords, following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the service has undertaken a review of our approach toward health & safety compliance with regard to new legislation affecting council homes. We have now published our action plan addressing the core health & safety compliance areas for review which are asbestos; water safety; fire risk, including fire risk assessments; electrical; gas & fuel safety; and lifts and lifting equipment. We already begun install new fire doors in some block and this work will continue to ensure the safety of our residents.

To further improve standards and tackle repairs, damp and mould issues in our council properties quicker, we seeking to procure contracts to help us achieve this. We know that it is frustrating when you have to wait for repairs to be done and we aim to be more responsive more proactive and more efficient. Everyone deserves a decent home.

In our Corporate Plan we wish to optimise the local benefits and social value of our in-house repairs & maintenance service.

Finally, I want to thank officers and the community engagement team for organising our annual tenants conference which took place on Saturday. Over 130 people attended our Housing Repairs & Maintenance Service, Apprenticeship Experience Event at the Housing Centre in July where they had the opportunity to undertake a range of repairs tasks. As a result, the Service have taken on 6 electrical and 10 property maintenance (with plumbing) apprentices. All 16 apprentices started with us in September 2023.